Employment Students have a responsibility to continue working in their research group as instructed by their research advisor as long as they are being supported.  Questions about this process should be directed to the Academic Administrator. Although the MIT Physics graduate program is primarily focused on training students for careers in physics research, the pursuit of an advanced degree in physics is an excellent preparation for a variety of careers, both in physics and in other fields. Application fee waivers are available for US citizens and permanent residents who meet eligibility requirements set by the MIT Office of Graduate Education. The details of these events will be posted on this page as they are planned. Very occasionally, first year graduate students are supported by a nine-month (fall and spring) TA appointment. For more in-depth information on our doctoral guidelines, visit http://web.mit.edu/physics/current/graduate/doctoral.html. See applicable sections in these Guidelines for detailed procedures. The primary goals of the graduate program in physics at MIT are to solidify and broaden your knowledge of physics and to teach you how to do research, how to identify important problems, and how to communicate scientific information effectively. Read on for the schools admissions requirements, and …  After a student has electronically requested a change, the advisor must approve it and the student must then submit the approved change.     8.962 General Relativity  If there is also a co-supervisor (see above), the thesis committee will consist of four people.  When the departmentally-assigned reader has been selected, it is the student’s responsibility to convene an initial thesis committee meeting no later than four weeks before the last day of classes. The student should send the request to his or her academic advisor and, if necessary, discuss and modify the content to obtain the advisor's approval.  The advisor should then forward the request, with his or her approval, to the General Examination and Requirements Coordinator who will send notification of the decision. The periods for RA appointments are as follows: Fall: September 1 to January 15; Spring: January 16 to May 31; Summer: June 1 to August 31.     8.831J Supersymmetric Quantum Field Theories Welcome, and thank you for your interest in joining the Princeton Physics community. 8.901, 8.902 Astrophysics I, II, Nuclear and Particle Theory In recognition of the significant disruptions caused by Covid-19, specifically the challenges of finding a practical testing site and date, the MIT Physics Department is not accepting Physics GRE or General GRE scores for applications received by the December 15, 2020 deadline for the academic year starting in 2021.  We believe that this is necessary to avoid inadvertently privileging some applicants.  All applications will be given full consideration without reference to GRE scores, either general test or Physics subject test scores.  Thus, in general, a thesis committee has three members (supervisor, selected reader, assigned reader). Committee members are available to discuss, in private, problems encountered by either the student or the research supervisor before formal action takes place. Thus, for most of their time in the Department, students have two separate faculty members to whom they can turn for help and advice.  Throughout these guidelines, “advisor” refers to the academic advisor. This document describes the doctoral program in the Physics Department. Satisfactory progress involves both academic and research benchmarks. If only one breadth requirement is taken from this list, students may request approval of a second course that is not on the list if it genuinely satisfies the two stated objectives of the breadth requirement: 1) learning about physics and 2) being outside the student's research field. The oral exam committee consists of the chairperson and two other faculty members.  Each research field will appoint one committee each year to examine all students within that field.  If a student’s research supervisor is a member of the standing committee, he or she will be replaced by an alternate faculty member for that exam only.  The research supervisor may observe the exam and provide input if solicited by committee members.  The supervisor and student will be asked to leave the examination room when the final decision is discussed.  The first attempt at the oral exam must be made by the first term of the third year.  Two attempts are permitted with the second attempt, if necessary, scheduled in the subsequent term. In addition, a student must join the research group of a supervisor who will oversee the student’s doctoral thesis research.  It is expected that a student will join a group by the end of the first year in the program.  Any student who anticipates a possible delay in this schedule should confer with his or her academic advisor; Associate Head Deepto Chakrabarty; or Academic Administrator Catherine Modica before the end of the first spring term. Students are required to take two basic one-semester subjects in their research specialty (three in Nuclear and Particle Theory). To avoid late charges and the need to petition a change through the Dean for Graduate Education, students should be sure to register before the Registrar’s deadlines.  The Add date is about five weeks into the term and the Drop date is about three weeks before the last day of classes.  Pre-registration for all terms is done on-line via WebSIS. MIT Graduate Admissions Statement June 11, 2020. Site Map It contains academic information such as breadth and specialty requirements, General Exam information, time lines of satisfactory progress and thesis information. HST’s Medical Engineering and Medical Physics (MEMP) PhD program offers a unique curriculum for engineers and scientists who want to impact patient care by developing innovations to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. The Department encourages this student flexibility with modest course requirements and … Applications are … The Written General Exam is graded by physics faculty.  A General Exam Committee meets to review the results and determine who passes and who fails.  There is no fixed percentage of students who pass, nor is there a fixed passing score.  The difficulty of the examinations varies somewhat from year to year, and this is taken into account.  For a given exam there is a range of grades that clearly indicates a passing performance.  Similarly, there is a range of grades that clearly indicates failure.  The exams of students with grades between these limits are reviewed in detail by members of the Committee.  If a student is repeating an exam, the earlier performance is taken into account. The Written Exam consists of two problems in each of four areas – quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, electricity and magnetism and classical mechanics. The specific requirements for the Ph.D. are: The Department does not require PhD students to take any subjects other than those needed to satisfy the specialty and breadth requirements described below.     8.512 Theory of Solids II. If a student experiences any difficulties in meeting this timeline, they should meet with their Academic Advisor; Research Supervisor; Associate Department Head Deepto Chakrabarty; or Academic Administrator Catherine Modica. Overall, in each term after the first fall, any student with parts of the exam still to satisfy must take the next opportunity available to satisfy any remaining sections, whether the next opportunity is an exam or classes.Â, The one exception to this rule concerns the EM portion of the exam:  a student who takes the Written Exam for the first time in the first January and does not pass EM is not required to immediately enroll in 8.311 in the spring term (although doing so is highly recommended).  Such a student who declines to take 8.311 in the first spring after failing the EM portion of the exam in January must then take EM again in the second August.     8.952 Particle Physics of the Early Universe Some degrees also require completion of an acceptable thesis prepared in residence at MIT, unless special permission is granted for part of the thesis work to be accomplished elsewhere. Undergraduate students — you will not receive graduate credit for G level subjects. Students may narrow their focus, or change their sub-field, as they begin their research. Demonstration of core competence in all areas may be achieved in one of two ways. The current stipend rates for RAs and TAs are available through the Academic Programs Office.  For both RAs and TAs, full tuition and health insurance is paid over and above the stipend.  If a student loses RA support due to termination of a research contract, the Department will provide support for one additional term (in the form of a TA) and will make every effort to provide an alternative form of continuing support.  This signature is obtained by the Academic Programs Office after the student submits the thesis. 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